Tet!

Tet, for those of you who don't know, is the Vietnamese new year celebration. For those of you who have yet to experience one, it is a night of dragon dances, music, lucky money, food, and community. I was invited to the Tet celebration held by the Manchester Vietnamese community. It was held in the St. Anne Parish center, which used to house an Irish Catholic school. The gym was full of Vietnamese, but also a few familiar faces from the police department and St. Augustin Church. The next day the festivities continued at the local Buddhist temple on Auburn St. I experienced my first Tet.

Little did I know that a week later, I would be watching a Vietnamese drag queen sing "What is Love" in front of a massive audience at a Tet in New Orleans. I came down to visit a friend, and take a break from the documentary work. Knowing that I have an interest in other cultures, he suggested we go to the Tet. It didn't occur to me that other cities had these refugee populations, despite being told (and telling people) that refugees are resettled in ever state. The New Orleans Tet was, predictably, much larger. There were booths with food, a big stage, things for sale, and tons of people of all backgrounds. I was struck by the togetherness, the desire to share in each other's culture. We could all use more of that.

We could also use more Vietnamese drag queens.

Filming

Filming is fun. I have about 8 hours of recorded material, everything from interviews to an ecumenical prayer council on immigration reform. I'm learning that most people are receptive to someone showing up with a camera and filming what they are doing. So far simple explanations have sufficed. It's daunting to think of all of the events, programs, and everyday scenes I will have to film, not to mention the interviews. Then comes editing it.

It's been a relatively easy few months. Now this thing has taken off. I still don't know where I'll show it, but the time to think about that is coming up. There does seem to be interest though, which is encouraging.

Roll of the Blog/Music

I am wrestling with the roll of this blog. As it is at the bottom of my business card, it seems that it should be purely informative, letting people learn a bit about the project. Yet it began as a way for people to track my movements as a filmmaker, and I think it will serve this function even after the Manchester Project is done.

That being said, I've just finished my first piece of freelance video work. You can see it here.

The other thing about this blog is that I don't want to give away too many surprises about the film. With only two followers, however, I don't think the risk is too great. That being said, I have been working with two young Burundi boys on "The Refugee Rap," which deal with escaping the war and coming to America, the challenges both here and back home, and the good things that have happened as a result of them coming to Manchester. I was also introduced to a 19 year-old who has made a few songs on the same topic, and he wants me to make a video for him. I agreed, asking in return that I be able to use his music. I wasn't sure where the music would come from a few weeks ago, but now I think that I have some great stuff.

Active Participation

I don't know if there are recognised methods or models for documentary film making, but I am definitely running the "Active Participation" model. I've put in many hours in classrooms and after-school programs, and this past weekend I went to a service and community time at the Buddhist temple. I was thrilled by the warm welcome I received from all, as they invited my brother and I to eat their food and listen to their music, and invited us back for meditation on Sundays. It was quite the experience, and it's impossible to simply sit back and film.

Perspective

This Times article has me thinking about the angle taken by most documentary film makers. Documentaries, while normally presented as balanced, tend to lean far to the left. Maybe I think this because I watch what interests me, and so am more likely to watch the more liberal interpretations. But righties should be out there presenting their views through this medium. The documentary as propoganda, however, a technique used by all parties, is risky. It seems to me that people don't think as hard while watching documentaries as they should. A documentary should open your eyes, challenge you, and prompt further research. Most topic can't be covered in ninety minutes or fewer. Mine definitely won't be the entire picture, nor will it have "the answers." It is up to the viewer to understand what they are watching, and to understand the issue from multiple angles.

The Power of Asking

Today, people from two stores and one temple have agreed to meet with me or be interviewed for the film. This was quite accidental, as I set out to get an interview and some B-roll. The interview was moved, and it's too cold to be walking around, so I decided to go to the temple and ask if I could include it in the film. I was invited to the service on Sunday, where there will be a bunch of people to talk with. This prompted me to finally go into the African Market and ask the owner of the European store if I could include their businesses. I received positive responses from both. Things are moving.

Shooting

Long time no blog.

With January upon us, shooting has officially started. So far one subject has been interviewed on film, and an entire tape's worth of B-Roll was shot in an Elementary English language Learners Classroom. Without giving too much away, the tape includes some very powerful memories from the Bhutanese. I am still getting a feel for the camera, lighting, audio, etc., which I expect to improve as I go. With this project, content comes first, and so far the content is good. A few new interviews, both taped and non-taped, have been lined up. January promises to be an exciting month.